Traffic marker



Feb. 18, 11936. A. 1.. VOIGHT 2,031,396

TRAFFI C MARKER Filed Feb. 3, 1954 C) C) Q 70 c) C) D g Q C) D c1 c: D g3 C) (3 3 o D Q C) (D (I) C) (:1 Q E: c) g C) D D a C) (3 D g Q C) D D i(3 Q 4 7- roe/vars Patented Feb. -18, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2Claims.

This invention relates to a traffic marker.

An object of the invention is to provide a traffic marker which isrelatively inexpensive, which may be easily secured in position, andwhich is durable in service.

Another object is to provide a traffic marker which may have associatedtherewith letters, numbers, or other legends whereby the markers mayserve the plural function of traflic markers, street signs, housenumbers and the like.

A further object is to providea traflic marker of the character justspecified, wherein the number, letter or legend on the marker is soformed as to be readily visible from a substantial distance.

A still further object is to provide a trafiic marker having a portionformed so as to assume automatically a wedge-like configuration as themarker is installed in the street, whereby it will be securely anchoredin position.

A still further object is to provide a trafiic marker which is so formedthat it may be used conjointly with other similar traflic markers tocreate a trafiic sign wherein the several markers bearing the letters ornumbers of the sign cannot have separate rotation. 1

Another object is to provide markers which are particularly adapted tobe secured in the driveways of residences and other buildings and toindicate the street number or other data relative to such residences orbuildings.

Further and additional objects and advantages will become apparenthereinafter during the detailed description of the invention which is tofollow.

Referring to the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a street intersection andshows a plurality of the markers in position so as to indicate the crosswalks and to give the names of the intersecting streets so that theoperators of vehicles approaching the intersection from. diiferentdirections can readily determine the name of the cross street;

Fig. 2 shows in full lines and in top plan view one of the markers andin dot and dash lines other markers arranged on opposite sides thereof;

Fig.3 is a transverse sectional view through a marker and is takensubstantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of thearrows, and shows the marker before it is secured in the street;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig, 3,looking in the direction of th Q IQW Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3,but shows the marker after it has been partially secured in po.- sitionin the street;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but illustrates the marker when itis fully secured in the street, 5 and Fig. '7 is a view of a modifiedform of the marker which is particularly adapted for use in thedriveways of residences and other buildings.

The marker comprises a head or button Hi and a securing or anchoringstem ll. Although the head or button l0 may be of any desired shape, itis preferably provided with oppositely disposed fiat edges l2 so thatwhen a plurality of the markers are arranged closely adjacent to formthe name of a street the flat sides l2 of adjacent markers will be inengagement with each other and will act to prevent separate rotation ormovement of the individual markers, that is, all the markers of the namewill function to brace the adjacent markers and combined will form whatmight be said to be a unitary traffic sign.

In order to provide for economical manufacture of the markers and tomake the same durable in use, as well as to facilitate the functioningof the self-acting wedge, later to be referred to, the markerspreferably will be formed of aluminum alloy castings. As it is desirablethat the markers be brightly colored, so as to be clearly visible and tocontrast sharply with the letters or number appearing thereon, it isproposed to color certain portions of the marker by any well knowncoloring process. The upper surface of the head or button ID of themarker is provided with a plurality of upwardly extending projectionsl3, providing between the rows of such projections, grooves or furrows,with the result that such grooves or furrows will' not be subjected tothe traffic passing over the markers and that the coloring of themarkers will remain effective for a much longer time.

The letters or numbers appearing on the markers are preferably directlycast thereon after which they are ground or polished to remove thecoloring therefrom and to place them in contrast with the balance of themarkers.

Referring to the letter A, indicated in the I drawing and used forpurposes of illustration, it will be seen that the upper part of theletter, indicated at M, is distorted or broadened, which fact, whencombined with the upward inclination of the letter from its lower end toits upper end, increases the visibility thereof.

As is usual in the construction of traflic markers it is proposed tohave the upper surface of the buttons or heads I0 increase upwardly,inclining toward the centers of the heads, that is the upper surfacesare given a rounded contour. The letters or numbers that are placed onthe buttons, on the other hand, incline upwardly in a straight line fromtheir lower ends to their upper ends, such letters or numbers being soformed that their lower ends are substantially flush with the surface ofthe marker, or of the projections (3, while the letters or numbersextend at the same upward inclination past the high point of the head orbutton and to the opposite ends of the marker, as clearly shown in Fig.4. In order to make the description of this arrangement clearer, thenumbers or letters are upwardly inclined from edge to edge in the samemanner as would be a traffic marker button that was upwardly inclinedfrom edge to edge, while the remainder of the head or button I!) of thepresent marker is upwardly inclined only to its middle point, afterwhich it is downwardly inclined at the same angle to its opposite edge.

The anchoring stem l! is provided midway of its ends with a transverseopening l5, generally circular in shape, and from which extendsdownwardly an elongated opening [6, which is of outwardly flared curvedformation, said opening providing for a transverse locking key when themarker is installed, as will later be explained. The lower end of thestem is pointed and is formed of two divergent relatively thin stripsl'l integrally connected together at their lower ends and integrallyjoined to the stem at their upper ends by a relatively thin section l8.The junction between the stem and the head ID on the under side of thehead has extending outwardly therefrom a plurality of recesses I 9separated by ribs 20 which serve to assist in preventing the rotation ofthe marker when it is installed.

In installing the marker in an asphalt pavement a hole is made in thepavement to a depth substantially equal to one-half the length of thestem, if the installation is taking place during cold weather, and thehole is filled with hot asphalt. The stem of the marker is then pushedthrough the hot asphalt until its lower pointed end engages the bottomof the hole. The marker is then driven into position by imparting blowsto the head of the marker during which time the divergent portions I1 ofthe stem are forced upwardly into the key opening l6 until they assume asubstantially horizontal position, at which time their lower ends becomesevered and the stem takes the position shown in Fig. 5, it being notedthat the movement of the portion IT to horizontal position has forcedthose parts of the stem forming the side walls of the opening I5outwardly and slightly into the hardened material of the street. Thehead of the marker is now slightly above the level of the street, whilethe soft asphalt has seeped out and fills the recesses I9 on the underside of the head and also the openings I5 and 16 in the stem. Additionalblows are imparted to the head of the marker to force it downwardly tothe fully secured position, during which time the portions 1! of thestem, which are now in engagement horizontally with the hardenedmaterial of the street, bend upwardly into the position shown in Fig. 6,while those parts of the stem forming the wall of the opening l6 diginto the hardened material of the street and increase their outwardbend. The marker is thus securely anchored in the street by theself-acting wedge at the lower end of the stem and by the key in theopening iii of the stem and is held against rotation when the asphaltwhich has flowed into the recesses [9 has hardened.

When the marker is installed in a brick or concrete pavement a hole isfirst drilled in the pavement to a depth substantially equal to thelength of the stem from its upper end to the pointed tip formed by theportions I! and of a width slightly greater than the diameter of thestem. The hole is filled with hot asphalt or cement and the stem isforced through the soft asphalt or cement until its pointed lower endengages the head portion of the street at the bottom of the hole. Themarker is then driven into position of expansion by imparting blows tothe head of the marker which causes the spreading of the portions I! ofthe stem and the creation of a firm locking wedge at the lower end ofthe stem.

The markers primarily are intended to be used to designate thecrosswalks at street intersections and such use is clearly indicated inFig. 1 of the drawing.

It is often very difficult for the operators of vehicles to read thestreet signs that are ordinarily placed either upon the corner buildingsor upon the lamps posts at street intersections and it is proposed touse the present markers, not only to designate the crosswalks andtraflic lanes, but also as street signs which clearly and readily givethe names of the streets both to pedestrians and to operators ofvehicles. To this end, as previously stated, the signs will be furnishedwith letters formed thereon and in installing the crosswalks themarkers, with the proper letters for the intersecting streets, can beused to form that portion of the crosswalk lines which is in the line ofvision of approaching traflic. A driver of a vehicle, therefore, as hecomes to the street intersection merely glances at the crosswalk toobtain the name of -the cross street, it being remembered that thevisibility of the lines is accentuated by the distortion of the upperportion of the letters and by their upward inclination from their lowerend to their upper end.

In Fig. 7 there is illustrated a marker which is especially adapted tobe used in the driveways of residences and other buildings to indicatetheir street number, name of occupant, or other data relative thereto.

This form of marker will have its head 21 in v the form of a letter ornumber, the marker shown in Fig. 7, for purposes of illustration, havingits head in the form of the numeral l The upper surface of the head willincline upwardly from the lower end of the head to its upper end so asto increase the visibility thereof. It is also proposed to have theupper ends of the letters or numerals of increased width and proportionsto further increase the visibility thereof, similarly to the manner inwhich the letters or numbers are formed on the marker shown in Figs. 1to 6, inclusive.

The marker is provided with a plurality of depending anchoring legs 22,three of these legs being shown in the drawing by way of illustration.The legs 22 are wedge-shaped at their lower ends while certain of thelegs are provided With key openings 23.

It is contemplated that this form of marker will be installed in theapron of the driveway of a building, either when the driveway is beingmade, or at some subsequent time. A number of the markers of suitablenumerals to form the street number of the building can be laid in thedriveway before it has set, the upper surface of the marker heads beingflush at the lower ends of the heads with the surface of the apron andrising gradually to the upper ends of the heads where it will beslightly above the apron's surface. The material of the driveway willflow through the openings 23 of the legs 22 and when it has set willform a locking key which looks the marker in position suflicientlysecurely to withstand the few impacts to which it would be subjected.

In the case of driveways which have already been laid it would benecessary to cut recesses in the apron into which the markers can beseated, hot asphalt or soft cement having been poured into the recessesand which, upon hardening, serves to hold the markers in position.

It will be understood that the markers will be placed in the center ofthe apron of the driveway and therefore will not be subjected tofrequent traflic impacts.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustratedand described herein, it should be understood that the invention issusceptible of various modifications and adaptations within the scope ofthe appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A traflic marker of the character described,

I comprising a securing stem and a head secured to the upper endthereof, said stem having at its lower end a transverse opening formingseparated legs and downwardly convergent portions connecting the lowerends of said legs, said opening, legs, and convergent portionsconstituting means which automatically expands when the stem is driveninto a pavement and provides an anchoring wedge for holding the stem inposition in the pavement. I

2. A traffic marker of the character described, comprising a securingstem and a head secured to the upper end thereof, said stem having atits lower end a transverse opening forming separate legs, said legsbeing connected at their lower ends by downwardly convergent portionsforming a sharp point and being relatively thin with respect to saidlegs, wherefore when the stem is driven into a pavementthe material ofthe latter will-force said convergent portions upwardly into saidopening until their connected ends separate and will laterally expandsaid legs into the pavement to thus provide an anchoring wedge forholding the stem in position.

AUGUST L. VOIGHT.

